Congratulation, Xiaozhe Li!

1. Xiaozhe, the the topic of your dissertation is „Prehistoric Research of Xinjiang, Northwest China“. Why did you choose this topic and what did you hope to find out?

The “Silk Road” has always been a fascinating topic, so as for me. The Chinese envoy Zhang Qian opened one of the most incredible roads connecting ancient China and Central Asia in one decade during the 1st century BCE. Xinjiang is the largest province in China and its archaeological culture has very different characteristics compared to the inland cultures. But there is little research on how Xinjiang prehistory came into formation and in what content the other regions’ cultures (e.g., Eurasian Steppe) were involved during the formation process. That is the reason why I want to first organize all the published prehistoric data, and then figure out how the sites with similar cultural elements were formed or affected by each other; and, last but not least, try to reconstruct the ancient road where different cultures were communicated before Zhang Qian passed.

2. You were a doctoral student in BerGSAS and you have successfully completed the program “Languages and Cultures of the Silk Road”. In your experience, what are the benefits of a structured PhD program?

The most benefit of a structured PhD program is that every part of my PhD is in a clear plan. I have got many opportunities to take part in different courses, workshops, and programs held by the Dahlem Research School, BerGSAS, and the University; by this, I can get to meet various PhD students and scientists, not only from the archaeology background. Communicating with different ideas is very important to have new inspirations. The organization of conferences enriched my academic and practical skills, which cannot be realized in an individual program.

3. What do you take away from your time as a doctoral student at BerGSAS?

The first is the excellent time with my two supervisors: Prof. Dr. Mayke Wagner and Prof. Dr. Michael Meyer. They have provided me with very great and strong support since the beginning. Prof. Wagner helped me select my research title, showing me the correct attitude and scientific approach to do the archaeological research. Prof. Meyer always has the time to discuss my newest progress. I learned a lot from these two great scholars. Second is the abundant data I can get through BerGSAS, Freie Universität Berlin, and German Archaeological Institute. They really enriched my research data.

4. What advice would you give to students who are about to begin their PhD program?

Always have a plan; this is not only the time plan. Of course, you should balance the time of data collecting and dissertation writing. But also, you need to plan your achievement clearly when you actually want to finish the dissertation. For me, the best way is to cut the plan into the smallest unit, week by week or month by month; and then it will be easy to follow and complete.

5. During the “Berliner Antike in the James-Simon-Galerie – Personen und Objekte” event on the 14^th of December, you and other recent PhD graduates will receive your official PhD certificate. What do you plan to do next?

I’m currently employed as the Archivist at the Chinese National Centre for Archaeology, and I will focus on frontier area research, especially Xinjiang. Right now, I’m excavating in northern Xinjiang. For me, this is a perfect chance to verify my dissertation ideas and explore new insights. I think I will keep working in archaeology for at least the next five to ten years.